Rancho Santa Rita facts for kids
Rancho Santa Rita was a very large piece of land, about 8,894 acres (36 square kilometers). It was a special gift of land from the Mexican government in 1839. This land was located in what is now Alameda County, California, specifically in the Amador Valley and western Livermore Valley. Governor Juan Alvarado gave this land to Jose Dolores Pacheco. Today, parts of the rancho include the towns of Pleasanton, Asco, and Dougherty.
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History of Rancho Santa Rita
Rancho Santa Rita was given to Jose Dolores Pacheco in 1839. He was an "alcalde," which was like a mayor, for the Pueblo de San José. The rancho stretched east from where Foothill Road is today. It was next to other large ranchos like Rancho Las Positas and Rancho San Ramon.
Pacheco owned the land but did not live there. He had a small adobe house built in 1844. This first house is no longer standing today. In 1854, Francisco Alviso built another adobe ranch house. Francisco was the son of Pacheco's "majordomo," or ranch manager. This second adobe house still stands on Foothill Road. You can see it in the Alviso Adobe Community Park overlooking the Amador Valley.
A claim for Rancho Santa Rita was made in 1852. This was done with the Public Land Commission. The land grant was officially approved, or "patented," in 1865. It was given to John Yountz, who was managing Jose Dolores Pacheco's estate.
Changes in Ownership
In 1853, the heirs of Jose Dolores Pacheco sold Rancho Santa Rita. It was bought by Augustin Alviso. However, in 1854, Samuel B. Martin and West J. Martin bought the rancho. They later sold the ranch in 1865 and moved to Oakland.
In 1865, William M. Mendenhall came to the valley. He bought 650 acres (2.6 square kilometers) of the Rancho Santa Rita land in 1868.
Subdivision of the Rancho
During the late 1860s, railroads were becoming very popular. Because of this, Rancho Santa Rita was divided into fifteen smaller farms. These farms were still quite large, ranging from about 300 acres (1.2 square kilometers) to 3,750 acres (15.2 square kilometers). Some of the biggest landowners at this time were J.W. Dougherty, Abdijah Baker, and William Knox.
In 1869, J.W. Kottinger and J.A. Neal planned a new town. They called it Alisal. It was about five miles south of Dublin. By 1878, Alisal was a small town with about 500 people. It was later renamed Pleasanton. Like Livermore, Pleasanton grew in size and importance when the Union Pacific Railroad arrived.
Later Sales
In the early 1880s, more parts of the rancho were sold. Count Valensin bought 140 acres (0.57 square kilometers). Maas Suders bought a strip of land from the Mendenhall's property. Samuel Hewlett purchased 1,600 acres (6.5 square kilometers). In 1894, the rest of Rancho Santa Rita was put up for sale by Lagrance and Company from Oakland.
Finally, in 1921, what was left of the original Mexican land grant was sold to Asa Mendenhall.
Historic Sites of the Rancho
- Pacheco Adobe — This was the first adobe house built on the rancho in 1844. It was built for José Dolores Pacheco. This house is no longer standing today. Its location is about 0.5 miles (0.8 kilometers) north of the Alviso Adobe.
- Francisco Alviso Adobe — This adobe house was built in 1854 by Francisco Alviso. He was the son of Pacheco's ranch manager. This historic house is located within the Alviso Adobe Community Park in present-day Pleasanton.
- Alviso Adobe Community Park
